trait

[treyt; British also trey]

See more synonyms for trait on Thesaurus.com

noun

a distinguishing characteristic or quality, especially of one's personal nature: bad traits of character.
a pen or pencil stroke.
a stroke, touch, or strain, as of some quality: a trait of pathos; a trait of ready wit.

Origin of trait

1470–80; < Middle French: literally, something drawn < Latin tractus. See tract¹

Synonyms for trait

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1. peculiarity, mark, attribute, property.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for trait

trick, habit, attribute, quirk, character, feature, peculiarity, oddity, virtue, idiosyncrasy, quality, manner, birthmark, custom, cast, savor, point, mannerism, mark, thing

Examples from the Web for trait

Contemporary Examples of trait

This uniqueness is a trait that she attributes to her early success as a dominatrix.
Whip It: Secrets of a Dominatrix
Justin Jones
November 25, 2014
By using some sort of filter—like, perhaps, a universally understood saying—the trait is more easily conveyed.
Scotland’s ‘Yes’ Campaign and the Myth of Scottish Equality
Noah Caldwell
September 18, 2014
The Royalist has always maintained that Harry's red hair is a Spencer, not a Hewitt trait.
Prince Harry Definitely Not James Hewitt's Son According To DNA Test
Tom Sykes
September 6, 2014
Without delving into spoilers, what if a trait like vulnerability can also be a source of strength?
Book Bag: How to Survive—Five Stories About Unlikely Survivors
Claire Cameron
February 11, 2014
The trait was especially essential for Nathan, a straight-man character Garcia patterned after himself.
Will Arnett on ‘The Millers,’ ‘Arrested Development,’ and More
Jason Lynch
October 2, 2013

Historical Examples of trait

It is a trait, moreover, which finds expression in almost everything he wrote.
The Man Shakespeare
Frank Harris
As one trait disappeared, no other trait sprung up to take its place.
Life And Adventures Of Martin Chuzzlewit
Charles Dickens
No catalogue of American qualities and defects can exclude the trait of individualism.
The American Mind
Bliss Perry
It was this trait in my character which led to the incident I am about to tell you of.
Harper's Young People, July 27, 1880
Various
The trait of which I am speaking, I replied, may be also seen in the dog, and is remarkable in the animal.
The Republic
Plato

British Dictionary definitions for trait

trait

noun

a characteristic feature or quality distinguishing a particular person or thing
rare a touch or stroke

Word Origin for trait

C16: from French, from Old French: a pulling, from Latin tractus, from trahere to drag

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for trait

late 15c., "shot, missiles;" later "a stroke, short line" (1580s), from Middle French trait, from Latin tractus "draft, drawing, drawing out," later "line drawn, feature," from past participle stem of trahere "to pull, draw" (see tract (n.1)). Sense of "particular feature, distinguishing quality" is first recorded 1752, from meaning "line, streak, feature" (1560s), which is common to English, French, and Latin.

trait in Medicine

trait

[trāt]

A genetically determined structure, attribute, or function.
A distinct pattern of behavior.

trait in Science

trait

[trāt]

A genetically determined characteristic or condition. Traits may be physical, such as hair color or leaf shape, or they may be behavioral, such as nesting in birds and burrowing in rodents. Traits typically result from the combined action of several genes, though some traits are expressed by a single gene.